The Hawk, the Black Widow, and the Tarantula
by irregular-pioneer
Summary: Upon getting ready for a post-battle dinner, Clint stumbles upon an unexpected visitor in the shower


A storm of metal, dust, and other various debris rained down on the city like a fit of celebratory confetti: the villains had been defeated and it was time for the heroes to take a much-needed break until the world needed to be saved once more. All across New York, the teammates hoisted themselves off the ground or from their respective heights, wiping at the dirt and stains on the knees of their pant legs.

Eventually, the group of six was reunited in the heart of the barren and dusty city, a small and tired orchestra of post-battle congratulations and small-talk queued up around them as Tony offered to buy the group a meal of exotic food – a new tradition since the first time they all fought side-by-side—and they all hesitantly agreed, unanimously deciding that they were all in dire need of a free meal, no matter how unappetizing it may have sounded.

The six of them trudged, half-lifelessly, back to their Tower for a warm shower and a decent change of clothes. They eventually reached their close destination, the entire team pouring through the automatic doors and crowding into the elevator to reach their individual floors. Natasha and Clint stepped out first, boots sounding throughout the tiled room as they beelined for their bedroom, Clint already hopping out of his boots in preparation for his shower while his red haired companion flopped onto the sloppily made bed with a loud sigh.

"Are you getting in with me, Nat?" Clint asked with a mischievous raise of his eyebrows as he threw his boots and shirt into the corner, near the laundry basket before tugging down the zipper of his pants and shamelessly wiggling out of them.

"Not today," she replied, running strong—yet graceful—hands through her thick shock of red hair before letting one hand tug down the zipper of her uniform and kicking off her shoes. She slid out of her suit easily, despite the sweat sticking her under suit to the uniform, and laid quietly in her black underwear as she listened the rush of running water from the open door.

"That was fast," she commented, hearing the water click off, followed by the sound of heavy feet padding against the tile not five minutes after she had heard the same water click on. She sat up as the steps approached, only to find a look of existential terror painted on the face of her toweled companion, "What?" she asked, flinging her feet over the side of the bed and standing up, "What happened?"

"There is a huge spider in there, Nat," he said, wrapping the towel tighter around himself in a slightly protective manner, "I mean, like, monster-size."

Natasha scoffed, rolling her eyes as she approached the bathroom, "So, you can take on actually menacing bad guys, but you can't handle a single spider? God, Barton, you are messed up," she said as she pulled the shower curtain open with a small gasp at the large tarantula that rested against the white porcelain tub. She scooped it carefully into her hands, laughing as Clint inched away into the bedroom with small chirps of terror, "Calm down," she said, "It's Banner's pet, he's been looking for her for days. Go get me a jar so we can return it to him tonight before dinner."

Clint hesitantly agreed, coming back with a medium-sized jar , taking the lid off as he approached Natasha, "Please don't make me touch that thing, it's seriously giving me the creeps," he said, holding out the open jar, jumping when he felt the weight of the hairy spider fall into it, "Close it, close it, close it, close it."

Natasha laughed heartily, clapping the hole-poked lid onto the jar as Clint fliched and wiggled with discomfort, "Calm down," she said, "Look, it's not going to hurt you," she showed him the sealed jar before placing it on the night stand, "Now, are you going to finish your shower, or are you too creeped out to go back?"

Clint shook his head, "You go ahead," he said, eyeing the jar apprehensively as he took his turn lying down on the bed, listening to the light patter of feet retreating into the bathroom and the new rush of water as the feet stopped.

Nat took her time, properly caring for her thick ginger locks before lathering her body thoroughly. Humming sweet lullabies of her past as she ran a razor up her legs and underarms. She eventually just stood in the stream, letting the warm water cascade down her before she decided she was done. She wrapped herself in a big, fluffy towel before finding her way back into the other room, letting out her own chirp of surprise as she witnessed Clint letting the spider walk across his hands and arms, "What happened, does that spider have brainwashing powers or something?" she asked tentatively, eyeing the new couple as she padded towards the closet, quickly throwing on a new outfit.

"I was wrong about this little guy, Nat. He's really sort of sweet," he laughed, placing the tarantula back in it's jar and closing the lid again. With the decision that he could shower after they had eaten, Clint followed suit with his partner and put on a fresh set of clothes, ready to eat dinner with his colleagues, "Can we keep the spider for one night?" he pleaded, sliding a pair of socks onto his feet.

"No, Clint, we have to give it back to Banner. Go grab the thing now, because it's time to go," she asserted, slinging a purse over her shoulder as she slipped into her own shoes.

The couple, along with Clint's newfound friend, stepped into the elevator, ready for the long decent to the lobby and the warm food that awaited them out on the city's streets.


End file.
